A security system for electronic devices such as computers that advantageously combines a conventional chassis assembly with an entrapment system that integrally inhibits unauthorized removal of not only the device, but also its internal components. The integrated security system preferably comprises an electronic device having a chassis and a cover attachable to the chassis, a security base plate, a first plurality of locking members attached to the base plate or the chassis, a second plurality of locking members formed in the base plate or the chassis and cover, the second plurality of locking members being adapted to receive and capture a separate one of the first plurality of locking members to secure the device to the base plate and to integrally lock the cover to the chassis while the device remains secured to the base plate, and a lock operably coupled to the device and the base plate to prevent removal of the device from the base plate.
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19. A securable electronic device comprising
a chassis having first and second slots, a cover attachable to said chassis, said cover having first and second slots alignable with said first and second slots of said chassis, said first and second slots of said cover and said chassis being adapted to slidably receive and retain a locking member extending from an object to secure said cover to said chassis and to secure said cover and chassis to said object.
1. An integrated security system for an electronic device comprising
an electronic device having a chassis and a cover attachable to said chassis, and a locking mechanism comprising a plurality of locking feet adapted to slidably secure said cover to said chassis, wherein said locking mechanism is adapted to integrally secure said device to an object and said cover to said chassis, and wherein said cover remains locked on said chassis while said device is secured to said object.
16. A method for securing an electronic device and its internal components against theft, comprising the steps of
providing a electronic device having a chassis and a cover attachable to said chassis, and providing first and second plurality of locking members operably coupled to said object and said chassis, and slidably capturing said first plurality of locking members with said second plurality of locking members to secure said device to said object and integrally lock said cover on said chassis.
9. A computer security system comprising
a computer having a computer chassis and a computer cover attachable to said chassis, a security base plate, a plurality of locking feet attached to said computer chassis or said base plate, a plurality of locking members formed in said base or said chassis and cover, each of said plurality of locking members lockingly capturing a separate one of said plurality of locking feet to secure said computer to said base plate and said cover to said chassis, and a lock operably coupled to said computer and said base plate to prevent removal of said computer from said base plate.
2. The integrated security system of
3. The integrated security system of
4. The integrated security system of
5. The integrated security system of
6. The integrated security system of
7. The integrated security system of
8. The integrated security system of
10. The computer security system of
11. The computer security system of
12. The computer security system of
13. The computer security system of
14. The computer security system of
15. The computer security system of
18. The method of
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This invention relates to security devices for electronic equipment such as computers and, more particularly to a method and apparatus for providing an integrated security system that tends to inhibit theft of the electronic device and its internal components.
There are many different electronic type devices that have become targets of theft. Such devices include computers, printers, copiers, video cassette recorders, televisions, and a variety of medical equipment. Due to the vast number of possible situations in which it would be necessary to secure one of these devices against theft, the securing of a computer to inhibit theft will be focussed on for exemplary purposes only.
Over the last twenty years or so, the computer industry has experienced massive growth. The processing power that once required computers that were so large they took up entire floors of office buildings, can now be found in a typical personal computer, i.e., a desktop or laptop computer. These early behemoths were not only large, they were extremely expensive and usually only accessible to a privileged few. Affordability of personal computers has gone hand-in-hand with the increase in processing power. As a result, there has been a significant influx of computers into all forms of business and into educational institutions, from grammar schools to universities. It is now becoming common place for high schools, intermediate schools and even grammar schools to have their own computer laboratories. With the ever-increasing popularity of the internet as a tool for commerce, education and communication, the number of personal computers found in businesses, schools and homes is likely to only increase.
The increase in popularity and desirability of high-powered personal computers has brought with it an increase in theft. Schools and businesses are being burglarized at an alarming rate resulting in the loss of newly installed computers and other electronic devices such as televisions and video cassette players. Well-dressed thieves have been known to brazenly walk into businesses during business hours and walk out with unsecured computer and electronic equipment. In an effort to combat this wide spread problem and inhibit the theft of personal computers and related equipment, computer consumers have employed a variety of devices to secure their computer equipment against theft. One such security system includes the use of a cable attached to the computer and other related components such as the monitor, keyboard, printer, etc., and then attached to a desk, floor or other relatively immovable object. Such a security system, however, tends to be ineffective against a relatively industrious thief and is often aesthetically unpleasant.
Other more secure systems have been developed to inhibit computer theft. An example of such a security system includes the use of a mounting plate secured to a desktop or floor combined with a base plate secured to the bottom of the computer. The base plate includes a number of attachment feet attached thereto which are specifically designed to mate with an equal number of keyhole slots formed in the mounting plate. The.attachment feet are adapted to enter the keyhole slots and then be slid to a lockable or non-removable position within the slots. A locking means, such as a lock bar mechanism, is then employed to prevent the attachment feet from being returned to a removable position within the slots and, thus, inhibit the removal of the computer from the mounting plate as a result. Although likely to be more secure and aesthetically pleasing than the cable security system discussed above, the mounting plate security systems also tend to be ineffective against an industrious thief. For instance, the mounting plate system is not likely to prevent a thief from removing the computer cover and taking the largely untraceable internal components found therein such as the central processing unit chip or the memory chips.
To prevent theft of a computer and its internal components, a variety of steel enclosures or entrapments have been designed to encase the entire computer. Although generally effective in preventing theft of the computer and its internal components, such entrapments are so aesthetically unpleasant and inconvenient to use that most computer consumers have opted for other security systems, such as those noted above, or none at all.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a security system that inhibits unauthorized removal of electronic devices such as computers, as well as the internal hardware and components of the device, and at the same time is both convenient to use and aesthetically pleasing.
The integrated security system (hereinafter "ISS") of the present invention advantageously combines a conventional chassis assembly of a given electronic device, such as a computer, with an entrapment system that inhibits unauthorized removal of not only the computer, but also its internal components in a manner that is both aesthetically pleasing and convenient to use. With the ISS the typical mounting feet found on a conventional computer chassis or chassis of other electronic devices are replaced with locking feet that mate with a security base plate that has been permanently or selectively removably attached to a desktop, floor or other relatively immovable object. In regard to a computer, the cover is typically designed to slide over the chassis. With the cover in place, the locking feet are installed to retain the cover on the chassis until the locking feet are removed. Next, the computer is attached to the security base plate by inserting the locking feet into a large diameter keyhole portion of keyhole type slots formed in the security base plate and then sliding the computer until the feet encounter the back of a slot portion of the keyhole slots wherein removal of the locking feet is prevented. A locking mechanism is then engaged to lock the computer in place on the security base place, which in turn locks the cover to the chassis. Thus, the computer and its internal components are integrally secured against theft.
Alternatively, the ISS would include locking feet attached to a base plate and keyhole slots formed in a computer chassis and cover. The locking feet mate with the keyhole slots in the computer chassis and cover to lock the computer to the base and lock the cover to the chassis. The cover is slid over the chassis aligning the keyhole slots in both components. With the cover in place, the keyhole slots are aligned with the locking feet mounted on the base plate. Next, the computer is attached to the security base plate by inserting the locking feet into the large diameter keyhole portion of the keyhole type slots and then sliding the computer until the feet encounter the back of the slot portion of the keyhole slots wherein removal of the locking feet is prevented. A locking mechanism is then engaged to lock the computer in place on the security base place, which in turn locks the cover to the chassis. Thus, the computer and its internal components are again integrally secured to inhibit theft.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved security system for electronic devices such as computers. Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and the following description.
Referring now in detail to the drawings, therein illustrated is a novel integrated security system (hereinafter "ISS"). Due to the diversity and vastness of possible applications for the ISS of the present invention, computer related embodiments will be described for exemplary purposes only. These embodiments will focus on an ISS application in which an ISS that is constructed according to the present invention is used to integrally inhibit theft of the computer and its internal components.
Referring to
The ISS 10 preferably includes a generally rectangular security base plate 12 having a width that is generally slightly wider than the footprint of the computer. The security base plate 12 is fixedly secured to a relatively immovable object such as a floor or wall of a building or a desk with the use of one or more adhesive pads 14. The base plate 12 also includes a plurality of keyhole slots 16 cut through the base plate 12 and aligned in a manner to mate with locking feet 30 that are attached to a computer 40. Although the footprint of the computer 40 may vary slightly from manufacturer to manufacturer, and obviously varies between configurations of the computer, e.g., a desktop, a tower or a notebook, it would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the locations at which the locking feet 30 are mounted to computers could easily be standardized to reduce the number of different sized base plates 12.
As shown more clearly in
As shown in
Referring to
In operation, the cover 54 is placed over the chassis 42, with the locking feet 30 removed, such that the through holes 62 in the locking flanges 60 and 61 are aligned with the screw holes 47 in the bottom panel 46 of the chassis 42. Once aligned, the screw-body 32 of each locking foot 30 is screwed into the screw-holes 47 attaching the cover 54 to the chassis 42. With the cover 54 secured to the chassis 42, the locking feet 30 are aligned with the keyhole slots 16 in the base plate 12. The locking member 34 of each locking foot 30 is passed through the keyhole portions 17 of the keyhole slots 16. The computer 40 is then moved to a substantially locked position by sliding the locking feet 30 within the lock slot portions 18 of each keyhole slot 16 until the locking feet 30 encounter the back of the lock slot portions 18. In this position, the locking feet 30 are retained by the lock slot portions 18 and cannot be removed from the keyhole slots 16 without sliding the computer 40 back to a position wherein the locking member 34 can pass through the keyhole portion 17 of the keyhole slots 16. With the locking feet 30 in a locked positioned, a lock block 20 is attached to the base plate 12 to lock the computer 40 in place on the base plate 12. The lock block 20 is mounted on the base plate 12 adjacent the base of the front panel 44 of the chassis 42 and generally abuts the front panel 44 of the chassis 42. The lock block 20 prevents the computer from sliding forward to a position wherein the locking member 34 of each locking foot 30 can be removed by being passed through the keyhole portion 17 of the keyhole slots 16. By locking the computer 40 to the base plate 12, the cover 54 is locked onto the chassis 42 and cannot be removed until the computer 40 is removed from the base plate 12. Thus, the ISS 10 of the present invention integrally inhibits unauthorized removal of both the computer 40 and its internal components.
The lock block 20 as shown if
In an alternative embodiment shown in
The dead bolt assembly 70 includes a retractable dead bolt 72 that is moveable between a locked position wherein it extends beyond the base of the front panel 44 and an unlocked position wherein it retracts within the front panel 44. In this embodiment, the base plate 12 is modified to include a recess (not shown) that receives the dead bolt 72 in a locked position and thereby locks the computer 40 in place on the base plate 12 and, thus, integrally secures both the computer 40 and its internal components from unauthorized removal. Alternatively the ISS 10 could include a locking device internal to the computer 40, such as a key activated locking cam, that could rotate into a mating apparatus on the base plate 12 and prevent forward motion of the computer 40 relative to the base plate 12.
The computer 140 of this embodiment includes a conventional computer chassis 142. The chassis 142 includes front and rear panels 144 and 148 connected to first and second side panels 150 and 152 and a bottom panel 146. The chassis 142 has been modified slightly by adding keyhole slots 115 through the bottom panel 146. The computer 140 also includes a cover 154 having a top panel 158, first and second side panels 156 and 157 attached to the top panel 113, and first and second locking flanges 160 and 161 extending inwardly at a 90°C angle from the side panels 156 and 157 at an end opposite the top panel 158. The locking flanges 160 and 161 can be integrally formed with the side panels 156 and 157 of the cover 154 or can be formed as separate components that are then attached to the side panels 156 and 157 by welding or some other means. Each of the first and second locking flanges 160 and 161 include a plurality of keyhole slots 116, which align with the keyhole slots 115 formed in the bottom panel 146 of the chassis 142. With the keyhole slots aligned, the locking member 134 of each locking foot 130 is able to pass through the keyhole slots 115 and 116 of the chassis 142 and cover 154 to secure the cover 154 to the chassis 142. The keyhole slots 115 and 116 each include a larger diameter keyhole portion 117 and a lock slot portion 118, which are adapted to receive and retain an individual locking foot 130 in a locked position. Each locking foot 130 is sized such that its locking member 134 is received by the keyhole portions 117 and retained by the lock slot portions 118 of the keyhole slots 115 and 116 in the chassis 142 and cover 154. The screw body 132 is sized to enable each locking foot 130 to slide along the lock slot portions 118 of the keyhole slots 115 and 116 to a generally locked position or until the locking foot 130 encounters the back of the lock slot 118. The retainer 133 is positioned at a sufficient distance from the locking member 134 to create a gap there between of sufficient size to capture the chassis 142 and cover 154 therein and limit the distance the locking member 134 extends into the chassis. In this position, the locking foot 130 is essentially captured by the lock slot portion 118 and can not be removed from the keyhole slots 115 and 116 without sliding the computer to a position wherein the locking member 134 of each locking foot 130 can be withdrawn through the keyhole portion 117 of the keyhole slots 115 and 116.
In operation, the cover 154 is slid over the chassis 142, such that the keyhole slots 115 in the locking flanges 160 and 161 are aligned with the keyhole slots 116 in the bottom panel 146 of the chassis 142. Next, the keyhole slots 115 and 116 of the chassis 142 and cover 154 are aligned with the locking feet 130 on the base plate 112. The locking member 134 of each locking foot 130 is passed through the keyhole portions 117 of the keyhole slots 115 and 116. The computer 140 is then moved to a substantially locked position by sliding it along the base plate 112 while it is guided by the locking feet 130 positioned within the keyhole slots 115 and 116. The computer 140 will travel along the base plate 112 until the screw body 132 of the locking feet 130 encounter the back of the lock slot portions 118. In this position, the locking feet 130 are retained by the lock slot portions 118 and the computer 140 cannot be removed from the base plate 112 without moving the computer 140 such that the locking member 134 of each locking foot 130 is in a position wherein the locking member 134 can pass through the keyhole portion 117 of the keyhole slots 115 and 116. With the locking feet 130 in a locked positioned, a locking device 120, such as a dead bolt assembly, is activated to lock the computer 140 in place on the base plate 112. The dead bolt assembly 120 prevents the computer 140 from sliding forward to a position wherein the locking member 134 of each looking foot 130 can be passed through the keyhole portion 117 of the keyhole slots 115 and 116. By locking the computer 140 to the base plate 112, the cover 154 is locked onto the chassis 142 and cannot be removed until the computer 140 is removed from the base plate 112. Thus, the ISS 110 of this embodiment integrally inhibits unauthorized removal of both the computer 140 and its internal components.
In another alternative embodiment, a steel security plate 53 may be attached to the bottom panel 46 of the chassis 42 as shown in
Other configurations of the ISS 10 have also been envisioned. It would be reasonable to configure the cover 54 and chassis 42 assembly such that the locking feet 30 could extend from the side or top of the computer 40 and mate with a vertically oriented base plate 12. This configuration could prove useful when it is desirous to install the computer 40 under a desk and secure it to a vertical surface of the desk. Alternatively, the ISS 10 could be configured such that the locking feet 30 would not mate with a base plate, but instead would mate with the surface of a desk, the floor or another similar computer workstation that has had keyhole slots formed therein similar to the base plate 12 described above. A suitable locking mechanism could be used to prevent removal of the locking feet from the keyhole slots.
Hence, the integrated security system of the present invention provides many benefits over the prior art. While the above description contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as examples of particular embodiments thereof. Many other variations are possible. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be determined not by the embodiments described herein, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
Beuchat, Charles E., Jones, David B.
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Executed on | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance | Frame | Reel | Doc |
Mar 22 1999 | BEUCHAT, CHARLES E | ANCHOR PAD INTERNATIONAL, INC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 009862 | /0403 | |
Mar 22 1999 | JONES, DAVID B | ANCHOR PAD INTERNATIONAL, INC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 009862 | /0403 | |
Mar 24 1999 | Anchor Pad International, Inc. | (assignment on the face of the patent) | / | |||
Jul 19 2005 | ANCHOR PAD INTERNATIONAL, INC | ANCHORPAD SECURITY, INC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 016290 | /0033 |
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